


Cacophany Between Nobles

by IamDaiBae



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Ferdinand is getting bullied, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, I just want them to talk, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), They're called the wolf pack for a reason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24555409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IamDaiBae/pseuds/IamDaiBae
Summary: Ferdinand just wants to know why she hasn't forgiven him, even after their conversation.Alternative title: Why Ferdinand doesn't have supports with the other  Ashen Wolves
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Constance von Nuvelle
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Cacophany Between Nobles

**Author's Note:**

> I've rewritten this fic so many times- I've finally made a version where I'm happy with it-

Constance was many things, and spiteful could easily fall to the top of her list. Ambitious and strong willed, not many people could handle being around in her presence. Even those around her had to learn how to handle the force of nature that was Constance von Nuvelle. Despite her natural drive to restore her house at any cost, she was rather harmless in theory. Unless provoked, she was rather kind and charitable to many people’s surprise. 

Yet with one man in particular, he seemed to invoke the wrath of the blonde, and Hapi, Constance’s closest friend and fellow Ashen Wolf made sure to make it clear that  _ “Any enemy of Coco’s is an enemy of mine.”  _

~

During this time of war, Ferdinand wasn’t exactly sure how he found himself in this rivalry with a stranger, but he could feel her glare on the back of his head, even when he wasn’t sure she was around. He was sure he had never interacted with this “Hapi” character before, but he could tell that she hated him. Five years ago at the academy, she was ruthless with him, constantly sabotaging his school work, stealing food off of his tray when she passed by, and at some point she even misplaced his horse. His horse! He hadn’t known what he had done to deserve such a treatment, he liked to think that he was doing everything he could to help those under the monastery adapt to a regular life above ground, but nothing he ever did could convince her that he was a good guy.

It was just after nightfall, but Ferdinand needed some tea to take the stress off of his mind. Normally, he wouldn’t have been worried about anyone else being around, but when he entered with his torch, he spotted a redhead digging around with a pastry in her mouth as well with a prepared fireball spell, presumably for light so she could loot the cabinets. He called out to her, about to warn her that their rations were extremely limited as well as a speech prepared about how looting the pantry was wrong, yet before he could even begin, she gestured an obscene finger to him and called him names. 

While this had been happening for the last few weeks, Ferdinand began to feel a certain kind of frustration bubble in his veins before he calmly went to the tea pantry and got what he needed, wondering what he possibly could have done to deserve such a treatment. Especially not after his own problems with his family and losing all his status for joining in the fight with Prince Dimitri. Surely he would have to confront her about this, but in all honesty, she sort of scared him. With all the rumours going around, perhaps he would get the help of someone else to be there in case she summoned a monster on him. 

~

It was the mid evening the next day, and after following Hapi around for the past fifteen minutes, Ferdinand finally confronted her in the dining hall where he knew she would go to steal the pastries, another topic he was going to have to bring up with her. When we went to grab the basket of pastries, that’s when he cleared his throat to get her attention.

“Hapi-” He said before she whipped around and he just barely avoided a loose fireball, parts of his long hair were cinched, but that was about the worst of it. Even then, it still caused him to yelp. “Alright, I do suppose that was my fault for catching you by-” His hands were raised in defense as all of a sudden she marched up to him, glaring at him with crumbs around her mouth. It normally would have been hard to take her seriously, if she didn’t absolutely terrify him the way she did. 

“What do you want?” Her voice was agitated, taking another bite of a stolen pastry. The look he was giving he was one that he didn’t recognize, but it caused him to gulp nonetheless. It was as if she was a ferocious wolf and he was a small bird, and she was one step away from making sure he never took flight again. He’d never been in an altercation quite like this before, and he wasn’t sure what to do. The way she looked at him made it feel like she could sense his fear and uncertainty. His lack of response seemed to make her only more upset. “Did you not hear? What do you want?” Her one was sharp and pointed, but her face said otherwise. 

“I only came to ask what I possibly could have done to have offended you so-” He said, his eyes looking away from her as she was too close for comfort, her eyes only narrowed at him, before she took another bite of her pastry, causing crumbs to fall on his clothing. A power move to be sure, but it left Ferdinand confused even more. 

“Listen here, Nando.” Hapi started, leaving Ferdinand to take a moment to reflect that she had a nickname for him. However the time to digest what she called him was cut short. “You are the worst. Don’t like you.” Her words hurt, yet she spoke in such an apathetic, neutral tone that made it sound as if everything she said was fact. Every word was another punch to his stomach, especially dealing with something similar with Dorothea when they were in the Academy. Was he truly so unlikable? “Coco told me about you. You’re lucky I don’t hurt you right here.” Her words were undoubtedly a threat, but the look she was giving him made it feel like these words were so natural for her.

“That’s hardly fair, I haven’t done anything wrong, and I don’t appreciate this slander upon my name.” Ferdinand dared to speak against her, taking a step towards her in return, his own frustrations coming out. With Dorothea, it was different back then. His classmate was someone he wanted to respect him and eventually they became close friends after clearing up a misunderstanding between them, but this complete stranger was accusing him of things that he didn’t even know he did. It wasn’t fair why someone like him was getting… bullied like this by someone he didn’t even know. At his step forward, Hapi didn’t bother moving, causing him to bump her. 

Her red eyes glared daggers into his orange ones, and this was one time Ferdinand wasn’t willing to back down. Maybe it was unfit for a noble to fight like this with a nobody, but he was only able to be pushed so far. Their staring contest lasted for a moment before suddenly the dining hall doors opened and there stood a woman who was visibly both concerned and upset. Of course, out of anyone it could have been, it was his childhood friend who also held a grudge against him. He looked at her and wanted to explain himself, but she went to Hapi and pulled her away, the redhead still glaring at him until she was pulled away far enough. 

~

Going above the surface was oftentimes a challenge for Constance, so she preferred to go when it was either night time or when the sun was hidden by clouds. But now that they were fighting in a war, that changed things and made it so Constance would need to either find a cure, or deal with her alternate personality.

This particular evening, it looked as if it was preparing to rain and Constance took it as a sign to go and find where Hapi had disappeared off to. Yuri had asked about her and as Hapi’s best friend, a title she wore quite proudly, she volunteered to go and look since there was no chance for the sun to affect her when the sky was so grey. 

As she got closer to the dining hall, she could hear Hapi’s voice as she seemed to tear into someone. It was rare for Hapi to get so aggressive with someone over, well, anything. Hapi was the kind of person to turn the other cheek and ignore people whenever she didn’t agree with them. As she pressed her ear on the door to listen to the conversation, she could very clearly hear the argument. 

_ “Coco told me about you. You’re lucky I don’t hurt you right here.”  _

Hearing that, Constance let out a deep breath, realizing what this had been about with her. Thinking back on it, Hapi would get rather heated whenever he was brought up by her, and she seemed to mean it when she told her that any enemy of hers was an enemy of Hapi’s. It was a kind sentiment, but Constance knew that she couldn’t have Hapi fighting her battles like that. 

So she pushed open the doors to see the two of them in the middle of a staring match, or a glaring match to be more exact, and she knew she would have to break it up before it escalated any more. Going over to her, she put a hand on her friend’s shoulder and gently pulled her away.

“I told you to drop it Hapi, I am more than capable of handling such affairs on my own. Especially when it comes to nobles like him. I do not require you to fight all of my battles.” Ferdinand frowned at their conversation. They hadn’t even tried concealing their voices from his ears. Instead, he just turned away and let out a sigh, noticing the familiar glare as he did so and Constance had to physically hold back the redhead. 

It took him a moment to try and figure out what he did that time before he realized that he sighed and how easily it would be taken that he was taunting her. Quickly he turned to try and apologize, but they both had walked off, leaving him to stand by himself and his mouth agape as he tried to say something, anything to try and defend himself to deaf ears. 

~

It took him a while to try and figure out how to fix something like this. It had been a couple of weeks since his altercation with Hapi, and while her bullying had ended for the most part, he couldn’t rest knowing that someone hated him. He’d stayed up for long hours, wondering just why his childhood friend was so upset with him. Naturally, Hapi was defending her friend, but what had he truly done to Constance? Surely it has been nearly a decade since her tragedy took place, and it wasn’t as if it was his fault! It wasn’t his fault he assumed she was dead after all those years. And in the Academy, sure he had tried his best to pretend as if they were still as good as friends as ever, but he also had an image to protect back then in front of his peers. 

Ferdinand had been skipping dinner, sitting at his desk as he scrapped yet another piece of paper, doing his best to write an apology of sorts. Constance still avoided him like the plague, especially after his conversation with her in the sunlight only recently. It confused him more than anything, one part of her reached out to him while the other part of her pulled back further than before. 

It hadn’t taken him long to be found out by Dorothea, he was in the greenhouse sulking when the brunette approached him with a small frown. 

“Aw Ferdie, you look terrible.” She said, only confirming his thoughts. Tiredly, he laughed as he brushed his bangs out of his eyes, looking at her. Her frown deepened as she moved to sit down beside him. While he had only just gotten on her good graces, Dorothea couldn’t turn away anyone who looked like they truly needed a friend. “Is this about that girl?” 

At the mention of said girl, he nodded almost sadly, his eyes downcast onto the ground as he let out a deep sigh. 

“I’ve wracked my brain, Dorothea. I’ve done everything I could and yet they refuse to even speak to me.” As upset as he looked, his voice was calm and steady, and all she could do was put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Do you want someone to try and talk to her?” Dorothea suggested, but it was nearly impossible to get close to any of them. Dorothea just managed to bother Yuri, but everyone else was nearly unapproachable, not to mention if she asked to meet up with Constance, Yuri would immediately be suspicious. Her suggestion only made Ferdinand sigh again and shake his head, knowing that it wouldn’t end well if he had gotten anyone else into his mess. It was up to him to clean it up, once he figured out how to. “As someone who used to completely hate you, it’s most likely a misunderstanding. You just need to assure her that you want to talk things through.” 

Her advice was appreciated and made his shoulders relax as he accepted that as a plan. Perhaps it was just the stress leaving his body over this, finally the exhaustion was getting to be too much. With a slight grin, Dorothea gave him another pat on his shoulder and got up, helping him stand. After encouraging him to go get his own rest, she left on her own. 

~

Today was the day that Ferdinand decided to face his fears, specifically his fears about going into Abyss. Abyss was normally very off limits to any of the “surface dwellers” as they called him, but he decided that once and for all he needed to put an end to this fighting and get to the point about how he could make it up to her for this feud has gone on for far too long.

As soon as he entered Abyss, all eyes were on him from the residents and immediately he felt as if they were going to eat him alive. Everyone looked so rough and tough, while he was the very definition of prim and proper and he’s never felt so out of place. As he walked through, the children would glare at him and the adults would look at him as if he was a lunatic, but he knew that he couldn’t allow himself to be swayed so easily. Not when he had something to apologize for. Finally he came to the realization about what he needed to talk to her about, about them. 

Though the deeper he got in, the smaller he began to feel. The rubble, the tall pillars, the way every man in there looked as if they were just waiting for the chance to steal from him. Suddenly, he felt someone pat on his shoulder and he quickly turned around and was greeted by a bare chest, and then he looked up to find someone towering over him and Ferdinand instinctively gulped. He recognized him as one of his classmates, but admittedly he didn’t know him all too well. 

“I thought I smelt something weird around here, turns out it’s just a former noble brat.” Balthus exclaimed loudly, causing the people around them to start laughing and Ferdinand was quickly to brush his hand off of him, about to argue with him before Balthus patted his back even harder, almost sending him to the floor. “You’ve got a stick up your rear, pal. Calm down.” He laughed once again, and Ferdinand found it quite annoying that this guy was acting as if they were close friends while he wanted nothing more than to leave and return back to the above ground and have a cup of tea to de-stress. 

“Right, well, I should get going and continue looking for someone.” Ferdinand said, looking around to see if he could spot his friend anywhere in the crowds, but his comment only made Balthus apparently remember something and then he gripped Ferdinand’s shoulder tightly, causing him to hold back a wince. If his grip was any harder, he swore he was going to have his shoulder pop out of place. 

“That’s how I know you! You’re the guy that Constance has talked about. Something about a,” He paused for dramatic effect and something told Ferdinand he wasn’t going to like what she had to say, “rich little boy who’s never had to work for his toys. You know, I figured that chick was crazy, but you are  _ exactly  _ like she said.” Balthus was still smiling, however if looks could kill, Ferdinand may have died then and there. If Ferdinand wasn’t worried about the state of his shoulder, he would have been worried about how they managed to test how far his noble-ness would go. Balthus must have taken Ferdinand’s silence as an answer itself and then he let out another deafening laugh and then let go of the ginger. “Oh come on pal, I’m just twisting your leg, if you’re looking for the broad, she should be in the library.” He told her before he then walked off. As soon as he was gone, Ferdinand let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding and then started walking, ignoring the gossiping Abyssians as he left.

Admittedly, Ferdinand opened the doors a lot faster and harsher than he originally intended to, but when he opened the doors, he was only greeted with the leader of the former Ashen Wolves, sitting at one of the tables with his legs up on the table and crossed, a cocky smirk on his lips as Ferdinand’s face fell. What sort of cruel prank was being pulled on him now? All he wanted was to-

“So you’ve come to apologize, have you?” The leader of the Ashen Wolves interrupted his thoughts and not knowing what else to do, Ferdinand nodded, making him look a little lost in translation. Seeing his dumbfounded expression only made the purple haired man laugh, but it was dry and mean, leaving Ferdinand to wonder why exactly he’d entered the rat’s nest. “You’re funny, I’ll give you that. You know, contrary to what Balthus told you, Shadylady has only talked about you once.” Yuri said as if they were having a simple conversation, but he was the only one talking. 

“Well I-” Ferdinand tried to speak up, but the expression on the other man’s slightly shifted to a more dark one, his smile tightened and Ferdinand felt like a small bird that was going to be eaten up if he wasn’t careful. Thinking back on it, Hapi and Balthus were giving him the exact same energy. The squeak of the chair moving against the ground caused him to jump and Yuri stood up, dusting off his hand and then taking menacing steps towards him. Ferdinand figured he would have been better off if he hadn’t come to the unfamiliar territory, and now he was sure he was going to regret it. 

The door swung open behind him and there once again stood the blonde woman whose face was very red and very angry. 

“Oh you guys are simply the worst. Barbarians each and everyone of you!” She yelled out, and she raised her fan. Ferdinand flinched expecting her to hit him, for some reason, but instead she marched over to Yuri and started beating him mercilessly with her typical fan. “How many times must I tell you maniacs that my affairs are my own! Hapi I could tolerate, however I will not require you, nor that brute Balthus, to meddle in my personal life!” Constance said between smacks, and Ferdinand looked to Yuri to see if he was going to be upset, but instead he was laughing, putting his hands up in defense. 

“Calm down- ow- I was just- ow- playing a fun- ow- trick on him!” The two of them wrestled for a moment, and Ferdinand was left to stand awkwardly in the library. Was he meant to leave, or- “Come now Shadylady, you should talk to him now. Clearly you’re not that mad at him since I’m the one you’re ruthlessly beating up.” Yuri chimed in and then moved away from Constance, causing her to pause, and then finally face the ginger with a glare. “Alright little dove, you owe me.” Yuri said as he went to leave, but as soon as his back was to Constance and he faced Ferdinand, his expression went serious and he mouthed the words  _ “You won’t be so lucky next time, got it?”  _

~

Silence has never intimidated him more than with the blonde woman he once knew. Her long blonde hair with the perfect curls, her bright blue eyes that seemed to hold much resentment at the moment, the frown on her blue lips. She was taller than he remembered, and she was… She was the splitting image of her mother, Ferdinand thought to himself before Constance cleared her throat to get his attention. 

“What is it that you want from me, Ferdinand? I have already told you to leave me alone after you’ve been exposed to my rather embarrassing side. Perhaps now you are here to make fun of me in my own territory?” Constance accused him, and Ferdinand was quick to shake his head, his words getting caught in his throat. 

“No, I just…” Ferdinand felt dejected, he felt tired and felt like there was no point in any of this. Clearly she wanted nothing to do with him, her new family hated him, and he was tired of being made out to be… A villain. “I wished to apologize and talk with you. I’m aware that while we may have reconciled our differences, however it feels as if you are still unwilling to talk with me about things.” Ferdinand laid all of his feelings out right in front of him, and Constance could only stare blankly at him, and for a moment he was sure that he was done for and then took a step to leave until he was stopped. 

“Very well then, follow me.” Constance said simply and then left the library before him, motioning for him to follow. 

As the pair of them walked through Abyss, Constance moved with a certain kind of grace that he hadn’t seen before. Avoiding every single pebble and piece of rubble, her eyes facing forward instead of looking over to him, he was impressed. Then again, by the records that had been recovered from a former church member, the Ashen Wolves have been living in Abyss for many, many years now. It would only be natural to know the place as if it was the back of their hands. 

She led him into what looked to be her sleeping quarters, however it was full of bunk beds and many different dressers. Was this her room? And she had to share? Ferdinand never figured that she would have accepted a scenario as such for herself, yet he supposed there was much he didn’t know about her. 

Constance brought out two chairs from the corners of the room and brought them to the middle, taking a seat in one while she motioned for him to take the other. Shyly, he did so with a soft thank you. Constance crossed her legs and she made strict eye contact, essentially forcing him to keep it up as he was doing his best to figure out what he wanted to say. 

“Constance, why haven’t you forgiven me?” Ferdinand asked, and Constance let out a sigh and was the one to look away, looking to the closed door to ensure that there were no lurking eyes around them. 

“As you recall, when I turned fourteen, my family was taken from me. I lost everything, and that meant losing your friendship as well.” Constance began speaking, and Ferdinand was about to interject before she raised a hand, signalling that she wasn’t done. “I was born to lead the world as one of the best sorcerers that the Empire has ever seen. Then everything went stale and I had to start from the bottom. And I did. Yet, I don’t think I have ever told you what happened the day I turned seventeen.” Constance said as Ferdinand did his best to think back. 

“Seventeen?” He asked, and Constance nodded, and she had gotten up to grab a portrait that was on her dresser. She handed it to him and he looked it over, recognizing it as a much younger Constance along with the others. Constance was in the middle while the others were around her and they were smiling about something. 

“It was the day I found people who would never leave me. Yes, while there has been a few betrayals and heartbreaks, as a family I’ve managed to find people who never found that status mattered.” Ferdinand got an idea where she was going with this, and guilt ran through every single one of his veins. “That same year, you were announced to be the future Prime Minister after your father, correct? Were you aware that your father had directly denied my parents’ request for aid when they were being attacked? Your father was jealous of the Nuvelle’s as our magical abilities were only going to make our name larger and larger, possibly even larger than the von Aegirs now that all of the family were excelling in all forms of magic.” 

Ferdinand recalled the conversation with his father he had when he announced that Constance was very much alive to his father. His father told him about how he was unable to offer aid as their soldiers were sent off elsewhere, though he always figured that was a lie. 

“That was also the first time I had seen you before officially joining the academy. It was in Enbarr, and you passed by me on the street. Me, a lowly commoner dared to interact with you and you hadn’t recognized me. I had never seen you run off so fast.” Constance laughed, but it was plain as day to see the heartbreak on her face. “Ever since that day, I swore to never forgive you. We were going to be arranged for marriage after you’ve turned down the Varley’s proposal. Now look at us.” 

Ferdinand felt… Shocked. Had he really been a part of such an injustice to her without knowing? How could he have been so blind to these sorts of things? Constance noted the look on his face, and she let out another laugh to clear the air. 

“I will get the other wolves off of your back, I can assure you that they will no longer be an issue. Surely you must understand, they’re my family now.” Constance told him, and Ferdinand shook his head.

“A concept of family is foreign to me now. How we must have changed places. Constance I-” Ferdinand stood up and approached her, causing her to look up to him, not quite sure what more he could have wanted to tell her. 

“I never knew- My ignorance is no excuse for the way I’ve treated you. I apologize it’s taken me losing everything to see what I’ve done. Please, allow me to do something, anything to make it up to you.” Ferdinand asked as he was on his knees in front of her, taking her hands into his. Constance, who was pretty straight faced and composed, suddenly had a blush creep up on her cheeks and she scoffed, rolling her eyes. 

“There is nothing-”

“Allow me to ask for your hand in marriage, Constance.” He said nearly out of desperation, and Constance blinked a few times in shock, not quite sure how to respond. “I wish to do whatever I can to rebuild your house and to make you happy. If we join our status’ together and after this war we rebuild together, we can surely be-”

“I accept. We can rebuild our futures together.” Constance said with a nod, and she looked to him with a smile. “Thank you, Ferdinand. You’re truly grown up.” She said, and while Ferdinand was on his knees, holding her hands, he couldn’t help but gently squeeze her hand in disbelief. 

~

From that point on, they slowly began to learn about the other and they became lovers shortly after. Though it was kept in secret for the most part, especially after the war when Ferdinand was to be the new Duke Aegir, and Constance was granted what was once Hrym territory and they were married as soon as they had found the time between her research and his governing a new world. 

Some nights, Constance and Ferdinand would go out riding together and recall their odd and bizarre love story. 


End file.
